Course Catalog - 2013-2014

     

COMP 100 - INTRO COMPUTING & INFO SYS

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An introduction to organizing, analyzing, and presenting information using databases and spreadsheets. No programming involved, and no computing background expected.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp100/
 

COMP 101 - FRESHMAN SEMINAR IN COMP SCI

Long Title: FRESHMAN SEMINAR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: This seminar presents an overview of Computer Science for students who have not chosen a major. Weekly lectures address different topics in Computer Science. No technical background is assumed. The goal is to help students understand the problems that Computer Scientists attack and the impact of those solutions on society.
 

COMP 110 - COMPUTATION IN SCI & ENGI

Long Title: COMPUTATION IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The course introduces basic techniques for problem solving and visualization using computational environments such as Mathematica and MATLAB. Class will consist of a mixture of traditional lectures held in classrooms and self-paced modules covering topics in science and engineering that will be completed in Symonds II. No previous experience is required or expected. Cross-list: NSCI 230. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp110
 

COMP 130 - ELEMENTS OF ALGORITHMS & COMP

Long Title: ELEMENTS OF ALGORITHMS AND COMPUTATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Introduction to major topics in computer science, including real-world problems in a variety of areas. Teaches how to design and implement algorithmic solutions in Python and how to experimentally test and evaluate performance of computational systems. Instructor Permission Required.
 

COMP 140 - COMPUTATIONAL THINKING

Long Title: COMPUTATIONAL THINKING: AN INTEGRATED INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATION AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 4
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Graduate
Description: An integrated introduction to computation taught by solving real-world problems in audio, video and text processing, physical robotics, control and simulation of complex systems in nature, and swarm intelligence. Technical topics include how to model computational artifacts operating in the world; how to design and implement algorithmic solutions in Python; and how to experimentally test and evaluate performance of computational systems. Open to matrics of Fall 2015 and Fall 2016.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp140
 

COMP 160 - INTRO COMPUTER GAME CREATION

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER GAME CREATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 4
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Senior
Junior
Description: This class focuses on the mathematics and programming skills necessary to build computer games. math topics will include basic geometric primitives, transformations, texturing, lighting/shading and collision detection. Programming topics will include C# and XNA with students expected to construct two simple games that will be playable on the Microsoft Xbox. Limited to first year students. Recommended Prerequisite(s): Java Experience.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp160/
 

COMP 162 - INTRO TO GAME CONTENT CREATION

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO GAME CONTENT CREATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Explore how modern game content is created, and how it interacts with the underlying technology. Beginning with an explanation of how games are developed and what role content plays in the process, the class will learn to use 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, and game-native scripting as they create working content for an established game project.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp162
 

COMP 182 - ALGORITHMIC THINKING

Long Title: ALGORITHMIC THINKING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 140 OR COMP 160
Description: Algorithms are the engines of a great majority of systems, natural and artificial alike. This course introduces algorithmic thinking as a discipline for reasoning about systems, taming their complexities, and elucidating their properties. Algorithmic techniques, along with their correctness and efficiency, will be taught through reasoning about systems of interactions, such as markets, that are ubiquitous in our highly connected world. Prereqs may be taken concurrently.
 

COMP 200 - ELEMENTS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Long Title: ELEMENTS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Broad introduction to major topics in computer science. Includes algorithms, mathematical models of computation, machine organization and design, programming languages, communication, and artificial intelligence. This course is intended for majors outside of Science and Engineering.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp200/
 

COMP 201 - OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING I

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING I
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Introduction to computing focusing on the principles of object-oriented programming using design patterns coupled with progressively richer subsets of the Java programming language. Program design concepts such as structural and behavioral abstractions are emphasized in building contemporary dynamic software systems. Design Patterns are used as a vocabulary for codifying these abstractions and expressing fundamental computing principles. They are illustrated in the design and implementation of lists, trees and arrays and their associated algorithms that leverage both run-time and parametric polymorphism. The course utilizes UML diagrams for object modeling and unit testing as a part of an incremental, test-driven approach to writing programs. Recommended for Engineering and other non-Comp majors, plus students who have yet not committed to a COMP major.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp201
 

COMP 202 - PRIN OF OBJ-ORIENTED PROGRAM

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING II
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 201
Description: Continuation of COMP 201 covering advanced object-oriented data structures and their associated algorithms such as lazy evaluation, heaps, self-balancing trees, graphs, sorting, and generative recursion. Applications of Software Engineering principles such as abstract decomposition, decoupling, and command passing to large- and small- scale component-framework systems. Multi-threaded event-driven applications provide compelling illustrations for such principles. Recommended for Engineering majors, non-Engineering students, and potential Computer Science majors.
 

COMP 211 - PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAM DESIGN

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAM DESIGN
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 140 OR COMP 160
Description: How to systematically design programs in functional and object-oriented languages. Includes inductive data definitions, data-directed program design, test-driven software development, semantic reduction rules, recursive problem decomposition, procedural abstraction, functions as values, tail recursion and loops, object-oriented design patterns, algorithmic efficiency, programming in Scheme and Java.
 

COMP 215 - INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAM DESIGN

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAM DESIGN
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 182
Description: This course covers the principles of programming and program design. The course is organized around a number of individual programming assignments that fit together to complete a significant, real-world application. Each assignment emphasizes one or more of the basic principles of software design, including: encapsulation, abstraction, test-driven development, and functional and object-oriented programming. The Java programming language will be used. An introduction to the basics of the Java language itself (including Java syntax and semantics) will be provided.
 

COMP 221 - INTRO TO COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): ELEC 220 AND (COMP 211 OR COMP 215)
Description: This course introduces computer systems from the programmer's perspective. Topics include data representation, the compilation process, and system-level programming concepts such as interrupts and concurrency.
 

COMP 280 - MATHEMATICS OF COMPUTATION

Long Title: MATHEMATICS OF COMPUTATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): COMP 140
Description: This course provides an introduction to the use of mathematics in modeling and reasoning about problems in computer science. Topics include logic, proof methods (including mathematical and structural induction), reasoning about recursive and iterative programs, sets, functions and their asymptotic growth, counting, and modular arithmetic.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp280/
 

COMP 281 - NUMBER HISTORY/GAMES OF CHANCE

Long Title: HISTORY OF NUMBERS AND GAMES OF CHANCE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Starting with the colorful history of numbers, we discover their use to characterize chance or luck through probability; students will participate in one major project and submit a report-application areas include physics, computer science, sports, finance, etc. The course is accessible to sophomores and juniors in science, engineering or business. Cross-list: ELEC 281, STAT 281.
 

COMP 290 - COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1 TO 3
Description: Theoretical and experimental investigations under staff direction. Credit cannot be received for both COMP 290 and COMP 390. Instructor Permission Required. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for COMP 290 if student has credit for COMP 390. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 300 - SOCIETY IN THE INFORMATION AGE

Long Title: SOCIETY IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: We will review the remarkable technology of the Information Age and examine its effects on the ways in which we live, work and think about the world around us. We will consider, for example, how the pervasive use of computers and networks is changing our ideas about property, privacy, authority, social relations, knowledge and identity. And we will discuss what further changes we might see as technology continues to advance.
 

COMP 301 - IDENTITY THEFT TO THE iPOD

Long Title: IDENTITY THEFT TO THE iPOD: TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Information and computing technologies (ICT) have produced sweeping changes in societal, economic and political domains. Examining the relationship between ICT and public policy, this course will cover current issues including computer crime, immigration, intellectual property and online commerce to better understand the intersection of the microchip and democratic society. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 310 - ADV OBJECT-ORIENTED PROG

Long Title: ADVANCED OBJECT - ORIENTED PROGRAMMING AND DESIGN
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 OR COMP 215
Description: Discover how state-of-the-art object-orient programming and design techniques can create globe-spanning software systems that are both flexible and scalable. Learn how software design patterns are used in multiple programming paradigms. Explore highly decoupled systems with dynamically configurable behaviors. Highly recommended for anyone interested in building large systems and software engineering. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: COMP 510. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for COMP 310 if student has credit for COMP 510.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp310
 

COMP 311 - PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Long Title: PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 211
Description: The design, definition and abstract implementation of programming languages including methods for precisely specifying syntax and semantics.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~javaplt/311/
 

COMP 314 - APPL ALGORITHMS&DATA STRUCTURE

Long Title: APPLIED ALGORITHMS AND DATA STRUCTURES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 AND COMP 280
Description: Design analysis of computer algorithms and data structures useful for applied problems. Laboratory assignments will use these techniques in conjunction with advanced programming methods. COMP 280 may be taken concurrenlty with COMP 314. Cross-list: ELEC 322.
 

COMP 316 - VIRTL RECONSTR HISTORCL CITIES

Long Title: VIRTUAL RECONSTRUCTION OF HISTORICAL CITIES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course, part of the HRC’s Digital Humanities Initiative, is devoted to the virtual reconstruction of ancient urban landscapes with focus on individual buildings in their urban settings. All course activities will be based around interdisciplinary student teams who will work together through the semesters to complete a virtual reconstruction project. Instructor Permission Required.Cross-list: ANTH 346, ARCH 310, HART 316.
 

COMP 322 - FUNDAMENTALS OF PARALLEL PROG

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF PARALLEL PROGRAMMING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 OR COMP 215
Description: Fundamentals of parallel programming: abstract models of parallel computers, parallel algorithms and data structures, and common parallel programming patterns including task parallelism, undirected and directed synchronization, data parallelism, divide-and-conquer parallelism, and map-reduce. Laboratory assignments will explore these topics through the use of parallel extensions to the Java language. Cross-list: ELEC 323.
 

COMP 326 - DIGITAL LOGIC DESIGN

Long Title: DIGITAL LOGIC DESIGN
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): ELEC 220
Description: Study of gates, flip-flops, combinational and sequential switching circuits, registers, logical and arithmetic operations, introduction to the Verilog hardware description language. Cross-list: ELEC 326.
 

COMP 327 - INTRO TO COMPUTER SECURITY

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SECURITY
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): COMP 310 OR COMP 314 OR ELEC 322
Description: This elective course covers a wide variety of topics in computer security, including hands-on experience with breaking software and engineering software to be harder to break. For example, students will perform buffer overflow attacks and exploit web application vulnerabilities, while also learning how to defend against them. Grades will be based on a series of in-class projects.
 

COMP 360 - COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Long Title: COMPUTER GRAPHICS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 221 AND (COMP 280 OR COMP 182) AND COMP 215 AND (MATH 211 OR MATH 221) AND (MATH 212 OR MATH 222) AND (MATH 354 OR MATH 355)
Description: 2D graphics techniques including fast line and curve drawing and polygon filling. 3D graphics problems including representation of solids, shading, and hidden surface elimination. Fractals, graphics standards.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp360/
 

COMP 370 - EVOLUTIONARY BIOINFORMATICS

Long Title: EVOLUTIONARY BIOINFORMATICS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Large accessible data sets have opened new frontiers in evolutionary biology, and many fields. Learn to write computer programs to test hypotheses and discover patterns in diverse data. Understand the most common strategies in evolutionary bioinformatics, including dynamic programming, hidden Markov models, and graphical algorithms. No previous programming experience required. Biosciences Group B. Cross-list: EBIO 333. Recommended Prerequisite(s): MATH 101 and MATH 102.
 

COMP 381 - ICT DESIGNS -SUSTAINABLE WORLD

Long Title: ICT DESIGNS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have tremendous economic benefits, yet at an increasing cost to society with sustainability emerging as the major challenge. After an introduction, students will work on design projects based on ICT at the nexus of engineering, sciences and medicine. Cross-list: CHBE 381. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~kvp1/design_course.pdf
 

COMP 382 - REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS

Long Title: REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): COMP 182
Description: Writing algorithms is fun, but how are you sure that the algorithm you wrote is flawless? Are there computing tasks for which it is impossible to produce an efficient algorithm, or, for that matter, any algorithm? To answer these questions, you have to learn to perform mathematical reasoning about algorithmic problems and solutions COMP 382 is an introduction to such reasoning techniques. Topics covered would include elementary logic, analysis of the correctness and efficiency of algorithms, and formal computational models like finite automata and Turning machines. On the way, you are also going to learn some new algorithm design techniques.
 

COMP 390 - COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1 TO 3
Description: Theoretical and experimental investigations under staff direction. Credit cannot be received for both COMP 290 and COMP 390. Instructor Permission Required. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for COMP 390 if student has credit for COMP 290. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 400 - TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION IN CS

Long Title: TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: An introduction to technical communication in computer science. Includes oral, written, and visual presentations. Primarily for upper-level computer science undergraduates.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp400/
 

COMP 402 - PRODUCTION PROGRAMMING

Long Title: PRODUCTION PROGRAMMING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 OR COMP 310
Description: This course focuses on the principles and practices of test-driven software development, which have been popularized under the banner of "Extreme Programming." To provide students with practical experience, the course engages students in the development of open source production programs written in JAVA or C#. The DRJAVA programming courses was developed by students in this course. Some of the major topics covered in course lectures include design patterns for controlling concurrency and refactoring transformations to improve legacy code.
 

COMP 405 - OBJECT-ORIENTED DESIGN

Long Title: ADVANCED TOPICS IN OBJECT-ORIENTED DESIGN
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 310 OR COMP 510
Description: COMP 405 is a topics-driven exploration of cutting-edge object oriented design issues and concepts including mutable recursive data frameworks, design patterns for sorting, parsing and games, service-oriented architectures and cloud computing. Detailed knowledge and practice in abstract structure and behavioral representations, delegation model programming, design patterns and Java are required.
 

COMP 407 - ALGORITHMIC VERIFICATION

Long Title: ALGORITHMIC VERIFICATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 AND COMP 314
Description: An introduction of the fundamental techniques of algorithmic verification, including temporal logics, enumerative and symbolic model checking, and dealing with the state-explosion problem.
 

COMP 409 - LOGIC IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Long Title: LOGIC IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 211 OR COMP 215) AND (COMP 182 OR COMP 280)
Description: Set theoretical concepts. Propositional and first-order logic. Soundness and completeness, incompleteness, undecidability. Logical issues in computer science.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~vardi/comp409/
 

COMP 410 - SOFTWARE ENGINEER METHODOLOGY

Long Title: SOFTWARE ENGINEERING METHODOLOGY
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 314 OR COMP 310
Description: COMP 410 is a pure discovery-based learning course designed to give students real-life, hands-on training in a wide variety of software engineering issues that arise in creating large-scale, state-of-the-art software systems. The class forms a small software development "company" that works to deliver a product to a customer. The topics encountered include and are not limited to, dealing with new technologies (e.g. C#, .NET, distributed computing), advanced object-oriented programming and design, interacting with customers, problem specification and tasking, individual and group communications, human resource management, group leadership, testing, integration and documentation. Traditional development cycle methodologies will be compared to recent, "agile" techniques.
Course URL: http://www.bandgap.cs.rice.edu/classes/comp410
 

COMP 411 - PRINCIPLES OF PROG LANGUAGE

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 211 OR COMP 310)
Description: The design, definition and abstract implementation of programming languages including methods for precisely specifying syntax and semantics.
 

COMP 412 - COMPILER CONSTRUCTION

Long Title: COMPILER CONSTRUCTION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 314 OR ELEC 322 OR COMP 310 OR COMP 215) AND COMP 221
Description: Topics in the design of programming language translators, including parsing, run-time storage management, error recovery, code generation and optimization.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp412
 

COMP 413 - DISTRIB PROGRAM CONSTRUCTION

Long Title: DISTRIBUTED PROGRAM CONSTRUCTION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 421
Description: This course focuses on modern principles for the construction of distributed programs, with an emphasis on design patterns, modern programming tools, and distributed object systems. The material will be applied in a substantial software design/construction project. Instructor Permission Required.
 

COMP 415 - REAL-WORLD SOFTWARE DEVELOPMNT

Long Title: REAL-WORLD SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 410
Description: Experience real customers, software, and situations. The class will be contracted by an industrial customer to design build, and deliver a product. Negotiate to finalize specifications, updates, and delivery schedules Encounter real-life issues such as team management, intellectual property, and vagueness and specification changes while developing a state-of-the-art software application.
 

COMP 420 - INTRO TO DISTRIBUTED COMP SYS

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO DISTRIBUTED COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 421
Description: Introduction to advanced operating systems and distributed systems. The course covers concepts, architecture, algorithms, protocols and implementation focusing on distribution, scale, robustness in the face of failure, and security.
 

COMP 421 - OP SYS/CONCURRENT PROGRAMMING

Long Title: OPERATING SYSTEMS AND CONCURRENT PROGRAMMING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 211 OR COMP 215) AND COMP 221
Description: Introduction to the design, construction, and analysis of concurrent programs with an emphasis on operating systems, including filing systems, schedulers, and memory allocators. Specific attention is devoted to process synchronization and communication within concurrent programs. Cross-list: ELEC 421.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp421/
 

COMP 422 - INTRO TO PARALLEL COMPUTING

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO PARALLEL COMPUTING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 211 OR COMP 215) AND COMP 221
Description: Fundamentals of parallel computing including abstract models for parallel computation, parallel computer architectures, parallel algorithms, and data structures, programming models and methods, mapping and scheduling computation, analyzing computations for correctness and efficiency, and applications to science and engineering. Includes an extensive programming component.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp422/
 

COMP 424 - MOBILE & EMBEDDED SYSTEM

Long Title: MOBILE AND EMBEDDED SYSTEM DESIGN AND APPLICATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): ELEC 220
Description: ELEC 424 introduces mobile and embedded system design and applications to undergraduate students and provides them hands-on design experience. It consists of three interlearning parts: lectures, student project, and student presentations. Cross-list: ELEC 424.
Course URL: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~mobile/elec424/
 

COMP 425 - COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE

Long Title: COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): ELEC 326
Description: Evolution of key architecture concepts found in advanced uniprocessor systems. Fundamental and advanced pipelining techniques and associated issues for improving processor performance. Illustrated with RISC processors such as the ARM processor. Examine several metrics for processor performance, such as Amdahl’s law. Key concepts of data and program memory systems found in modern systems with memory hierarchies and caches. Perform experiments in cache performance analysis. Influence of technology trends, such as Moore’s law, on processor implementation. Approaches for exploiting instruction level parallelism, such as VLIW. Introduction to parallel and multicore architectures. Introduction to processor architectures targeted for embedded applications. Cross-list: ELEC 425.
 

COMP 429 - INTRO TO COMPUTER NETWORKS

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER NETWORKS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 221
Description: Network architectures, algorithms, and protocols. Local- and Wide-area networking. Intra- and inter-domain routing. Transmission reliability. Flow and congestion control. TCP/IP. Multicast. Quality of Service. Network Security - Networked applications. Cross-list: ELEC 429.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp429/
 

COMP 430 - INTRO TO DATABASE SYSTEMS

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 211 OR COMP 215) AND (COMP 182 OR COMP 280)
Description: Query Introduction to relational database systems, SQL programming, Database application programming, and Database design.
 

COMP 435 - ELECTION SYSTEMS

Long Title: ELECTION SYSTEMS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND ADMINISTRATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This multidisciplinary course will consider how elections are conducted to enhance participation, to accurately measure the will of the electorate, and to be sufficiently rigorous to convince all parties that the results are legitimate. This course will consider the design and evaluation of election technologies, ranging from voter registration through the polling booth and vote tabulation. This course will consider three questions: how do individual voters interact with the voting technology, how are voting technologies engineered to be accurate and secure, and how do the social aspects of voting fulfill democratic goals for elections? A central requirement for this course will be group research projects, many operating in our community, built around the November election. Cross-list: POLI 420, PSYC 420.
 

COMP 440 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Long Title: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 310 AND (STAT 310 OR ECON 307 OR ECON 382 OR STAT 312 OR STAT 331 OR ELEC 331 OR ELEC 303) AND (MATH 354 OR MATH 355 OR CAAM 335)
Description: This is a foundational course in artificial intelligence, the discipline of designing intelligent agents. That course will cover the design and analysis of agents that do the right thing in the face of limited information and computational resources. The course revolves around two main questions: how agents decide what to do, and how they learn from experience. Tools from computer science, probability theory, and game theory will be used. Interesting examples of intelligent agents will be covered, including poker playing programs, bots for various games (e.g. WoW), DS1 -- the spacecraft that performed an autonomous flyby of Comet Borrely in 2001, Stanley -- the Stanford robot car that won the Darpa Grand Challenge, Google Maps and how it calculates driving directions, face and handwriting recognizers, Fedex package delivery planners, airline fare prediction sites, and fraud detectors in financial transactions. Cross-list: ELEC 440.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp440
 

COMP 446 - MOBILE DEVICE APPLICATIONS

Long Title: MOBILE DEVICE APPLICATIONS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: As connected smartphones and tablets such as the iPhone and iPad become more popular, updated programming models and design concepts are required to take advantage of their capabilities. COMP/ELEC 446 will consider programming models including natively running applications, web services and mobile tailored web pages. We will explore applications primarily on the Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad but will briefly cover Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone. We will also briefly touch on the development of web services to support mobile applications. The course culminates with a large project taking up most of the second half of the semester. Curriculum centers around and teaches iOS and code (iPhone/iPad); however final projects may also be completed in any major mobile system if the student has a foundation in Eclipse (Android) or Visual Studio (WP). Cross-list: ELEC 446. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 310 or prior Object Oriented Programming experience.
 

COMP 450 - ALGORITHMIC ROBOTICS

Long Title: ALGORITHMIC ROBOTICS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 215 AND COMP 221
Description: Robots have fascinated people for generations. Today, robots are built for applications as diverse as exploring remote planets, de-mining war zones, cleaning toxic waste, assembling cars, inspecting pipes in industrial plants and mowing lawns. Robots are also interacting with humans in a variety of ways: robots are museum guides, robots assist surgeon sin life threatening operations, and robotic cars can drive us around. The field of robotics studies not only the design of new mechanisms but also the development of artificial intelligence frameworks to make these mechanism useful in the physical world, integrating computer science, engineering, mathematics and more recently biology and sociology, in a unique way. This class will present fundamental algorithmic advances that enable today’s robots to move in real environments and plan their actions. It will also explore fundamentals of the field of Artificial Intelligence through the prism of robotics. The class involves a significant programming project. Cross-list: ELEC 450, MECH 450. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 460 - ADV COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Long Title: ADVANCED COMPUTER GAME CREATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Description: This project-based class involves teams of 2-4 CS and Visual Arts students designing and building computer games suitable for Xbox Live Arcade using C# and XNA. For CS students, Comp 160 or Comp 360 is recommended as a prerequisite. For Visual Arts students, previous experience in drawing using Photoshop is suggested. Instructor Permission Required.Cross-list: ARTS 460. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~comp460
 

COMP 470 - FROM SEQUENCE TO STRUCTURE

Long Title: FROM SEQUENCE TO STRUCTURE: AN INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Contemporary introduction to problems in computational biology spanning sequence to structure. The course has three modules: the first introduces students to the design and statistical analysis of gene expression studies; the second covers statistical machine learning techniques for understanding experimental data generated in computational biology; and the third introduces problems in the modeling of protein structure using computational methods from robotics. The course is project oriented with an emphasis on computation and problem-solving. Cross-list: BIOE 470, STAT 470. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 280 and (STAT 310 or STAT 331).
 

COMP 481 - AUTOMATA/FORMAL LAN/COMPUTABLE

Long Title: AUTOMATA, FORMAL LANGUAGES, AND COMPUTABILITY
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Finite automata, regular expressions, regular languages, pushdown automata, context-free languages, Turing machines, recursive languages, computability, and solvability. It is strongly recommended that students complete three semesters of Mathematics before enrolling in this course.
 

COMP 482 - DESIGN/ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS

Long Title: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 280 OR COMP 182) AND (STAT 310 OR ECON 307 OR STAT 331 OR ELEC 331 OR ELEC 303 OR STAT 312)
Description: Methods for designing and analyzing computer algorithms and data structures. The focus of this course will be on the theoretical and mathematical aspects of algorithms and data structures. Cross-list: ELEC 420.
 

COMP 485 - FUND MEDICAL IMAGING I

Long Title: FUNDAMENTALS OF MEDICAL IMAGING I
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course will introduce basic principles of image acquisition, formation and processing of several medical imaging modalities such as X-Ray, CT, MRI, and US that are used to evaluate the human anatomy. The course also includes visits to a clinical site to gain experience with the various imaging modalities covered in class. Cross-list: BIOE 485, ELEC 485. Recommended Prerequisite(s): MATH 211 and MATH 212.
 

COMP 486 - FUND MEDICAL IMAGING II

Long Title: FUNDAMENTALS OF MEDICAL IMAGING II
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): ELEC 485 OR BIOE 485 OR COMP 485
Description: This course focuses on functional imaging modalities used specifically in nuclear medicine such as Gamma cameras, SPECT, and PET imaging. The course will introduce the basic principles of image acquisition, formation, processing and the clinical applications of these imaging modalities and lays the foundations for understanding the principles of radiotracer kinetic modeling. A trip to a clinical site in also planned to gain experience with nuclear medicine imaging. Cross-list: BIOE 486, ELEC 486.
 

COMP 490 - COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1 TO 4
Description: Theoretical and experimental investigation under staff direction. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 491 - COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHING

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A combination of in-service teaching and a seminar. Department Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 498 - INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): MATH 354 OR MATH 355 OR CAAM 335
Description: Introduction to the kinematics, dynamics, and control of robot manipulators and to applications of artificial intelligence and computer vision in robotics. Cross-list: ELEC 498, MECH 498.
 

COMP 502 - NEURAL MACHINE LEARNING I

Long Title: NEURAL MACHINE LEARNING I
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Review of major neural machine learning (Artificial Neural Network) paradigms. Analytical discussion of supervised and unsupervised neural learning algorithms and their relation to information theoretical methods. Practical applications to data analysis such as pattern recognition, clustering, classification, function approximation/regression, non-linear PCA, projection pursuit, independent component analysis, with lots of examples from image and digital processings. Details are posted at www.ece.rice.edu/~erzsebet/ANNcourse.html. Cross-list: ELEC 502, STAT 502. Recommended Prerequisite(s): ELEC 430 and ELEC 431 or equivalent or permission of instructor.
Course URL: http://www.ece.rice.edu/~erzsebet/ANNcourse.html
 

COMP 507 - COMPUTER-AIDED PROGRAM DESIGN

Long Title: COMPUTER-AIDED PROGRAM DESIGN
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 482 OR ELEC 420) OR COMP 481
Description: This course is a graduate-level introduction to computer-aided program design, a field that studies logical and algorithmic techniques for formally verifying programs, and mechanized derivation of programs that are correct by construction. Topics covered will include classical automated program verification in particular abstract interpretation and model checking - as well as recent developments in algorithmic program synthesis.
 

COMP 510 - ADV OBJECT-ORIENTED PROG

Long Title: ADVANCED OBJECT - ORIENTED PROGRAMMING AND DESIGN
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Prerequisite(s): COMP 211 OR COMP 215
Description: Discover how state-of-the-art object-orient programming and design techniques can create globe-spanning software systems that are both flexible and scalable. Learn how software design patterns are used in multiple programming paradigms. Explore highly decoupled systems with dynamically configurable behaviors. Highly recommended for anyone interested in building large systems and software engineering. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: COMP 310. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for COMP 510 if student has credit for COMP 310.
 

COMP 511 - ADV PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Long Title: PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAMING LANGUAGES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 311 OR COMP 411
Description: The design, definition and abstract implementation of programming languages including methods for precisely specifying syntax and semantics.
 

COMP 512 - ADVANCED COMPILER CONSTRUCTION

Long Title: ADVANCED COMPILER CONSTRUCTION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Advanced topics in the design of an optimizing compiler. This course will focus on analysis and optimization of programs for uniprocessor machines, including program analysis (data-flow analysis, construction of static single-assignment form) and program transformation (redundancies, constant values, strength reduction, etc.). The course uses a variety of readings from the literature and includes an implementation project. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 412.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~keith/512
 

COMP 513 - COMPLEXITY IN MODERN SYSTEMS

Long Title: COMPLEXITY IN MODERN SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A modern computer is a system with enormous complexity in both software and hardware. The course presents the principles for managing such complexity using examples from modern computing systems. It covers emergent issues from system complexity such as energy efficiency, bug finding, and heterogeneous hardware. It also covers designing experiments and writing systems papers. The course consists of lectures, student presentation of classic papers, and a final project. Cross-list: ELEC 513.
 

COMP 514 - SUSTAINABILITY & ENERGY

Long Title: SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY, AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Graduate
Description: An interdisciplinary course addressing the energy issues facing computing in the coming decade and beyond. In a student research-driven format we will ask how IT may address its power consumption problem and serve as a vehicle for energy efficiency, sustainability, and reduced carbon emissions across all human activity. Cross-list: ELEC 514.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~kvp1/spring2008/comp514.htm
 

COMP 515 - ADV COMPILATION VECTOR PARALEL

Long Title: ADVANCED COMPILATION FOR VECTOR PARALLEL PROCESSORS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): COMP 412
Description: Advanced compilation techniques for vector and parallel computer systems, including the analysis of program dependence, program transformations to enhance parallelism, compiler management of the memory hierarchy, interprocedural data flow analysis, and parallel debugging. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 412.
 

COMP 516 - CLOUD COMPUTING PRACTICUM

Long Title: CLOUD COMPUTING PRACTICUM
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 413 OR COMP 420 OR (COMP 520 OR ELEC 520)
Description: This is a project-based class that provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge of distributed computing principles to designed and develop a single, large distributed application that utilizes the public cloud. Students will learn about the basic services for computing, storage, and commination that are supported by the new generation of "public utilities" that provide the infrastructure for the public cloud, and how to utilize these services to engineer a robust, scalable application.
 

COMP 517 - RESOURCE AWARE PROGRAMMING

Long Title: RESOURCE AWARE PROGRAMMING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: While high-level programming languages can be very helpful for general-purpose programming, they can be unsuitable for programming systems that interact directly with the physical world. Such systems include real-time and embedded systems. This seminar explores the design space for high-level languages that can support the more specialized task of resource-aware programming (RAP). Recommended Prerequisite: COMP 211 and COMP 280.
 

COMP 518 - ENERGY EFFICIENCY MODERN SYS

Long Title: ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN MODERN SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Energy efficiency has become critically important for modern computing systems, from battery-powered mobile devices to wall-powered high-performance servers. The course presents the fundamentals of energy characteristics of modern systems, and introduces basic energy-saving mechanisms and methodologies for system energy characterization. It also covers emerging technologies in energy-efficient design. Instructor Permission Required.Cross-list: ELEC 518.
Course URL: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~mobile/elec518/
 

COMP 519 - NETWORK SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE

Long Title: NETWORK SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Design and Implementation of network systems, including hardware and software architectures of network routers and servers. Students will design and implement wither the hardware or software components of a network system, depending on their experience and preferences. This course is suitable for students with expertise in either software or hardware. Cross-list: ELEC 519. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 221
Course URL: http://comp519.cs.rice.edu/
 

COMP 520 - DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS

Long Title: DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Distributed systems: workstations, local area networks, server machines. Multiprocess structuring and interprocess communication. File access and memory management. User interfaces: window systems and command interpreters. Case studies of selected distributed systems. Emphasis on performance aspects of system software design. Cross-list: ELEC 520.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~alc/comp520/
 

COMP 521 - ADVANCED OPERATING SYSTEMS

Long Title: OPERATING SYSTEMS AND CONCURRENT PROGRAMMING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 421
Description: Advanced topics in the design and implementation of state-of-the-art operating systems for general-purpose computation, emphasizing solutions to performance and scalability bottlenecks that are common with today's commercial and scientific workloads: process and thread management; NUMA memory management, super page support; SMP memory and address translation coherence; low-overhead, high-throughput I/O systems; robustness versus performance in file systems.
 

COMP 522 - MULTI-CORE COMPUTING

Long Title: MULTI-CORE COMPUTING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 221 AND COMP 425) or permission of instructor
Description: Multi-core microprocessors are becoming the norm. The course will focus on emerging multi-core processor architectures and challenges to using them effectively. Topics include multi-core microcompressors, memory hierarchy, synchronization, programming systems, scheduling, and transactional memory.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~johnmc/comp522/
 

COMP 523 - COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN FOR VLSI

Long Title: COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN FOR VLSI
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Fundamental topics in computer-aided design for VLSI: logic synthesis and formal verification, timing analysis and optimization, technology mapping, logic and fault simulation, testing, and physical design will be covered. Relevant topics in algorithms and data structures, generic programming, and the C++ standard template library will also be covered. Cross-list: ELEC 523.
 

COMP 524 - MOBILE AND WIRELESS NETWORKING

Long Title: MOBILE AND WIRELESS NETWORKING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): COMP 429 OR ELEC 429
Description: Study of network protocols for mobile and wireless networking, particularly at the media access control, network, and transport protocol layers. Focus is on the unique problems and challenges presented by the properties of wireless transmission and host or router mobility. Cross-list: ELEC 524. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 421 OR ELEC 421.
Course URL: http://www.monarch.cs.rice.edu/comp524/
 

COMP 525 - VIRTUAL & CLOUD RESOURCE MGMT

Long Title: VIRTUALIZATION AND CLOUD RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): (ELEC 425 OR COMP 425)
Description: Virtualized computer architectures. Processor, memory and storage virtualization techniques. Resource allocation and scheduling of virtual machines. Cloud architectures and infrastructure. Utility computing. Cross-list: ELEC 525.
 

COMP 526 - HIGH PERFORM COMPUTER ARCH

Long Title: HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): COMP 425 OR ELEC 425
Description: Design of high performance computer systems, including shared-memory and message-passing multiprocessors and vector systems. Hardware and software techniques to tolerate and reduce memory and communication latency. Case studies and performance simulation of high-performance systems. Cross-list: ELEC 526.
 

COMP 527 - COMPUTER SYSTEMS SECURITY

Long Title: COMPUTER SYSTEMS SECURITY
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: This class will focus on computer security in real systems. We will cover theory and practice for the design of secure systems (formal modeling, hardware and compiler-enforced safety, software engineering processes, tamper-resistant and tamper-reactive hardware, firewalls, cryptography, and more). Recommended Prerequisite(s): (COMP 311 or COMP 412) and (COMP 421 or COMP 429).
Course URL: http://seclab.cs.rice.edu/comp527/
 

COMP 528 - COMPUTER SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE

Long Title: COMPUTER SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Fundamental topics in performance analysis of computer systems: workload, characterization, measurement techniques, probability and statistics, experimental design, simulation, and analytical modeling. These techniques will be used to understand the performance of computer systems, serial and parallel programs, networks and client-server computing. Assignments will focus on applying these techniques in practice.
 

COMP 529 - COMPUTER NETWORK

Long Title: COMPUTER NETWORK PROTOCOLS AND SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 429 OR ELEC 429
Description: Graduate level course on the study of protocols and systems for wide-area inter-networks with an emphasis on the challenges presented by the scale and complexity of the Internet. Topics include network architecture, router design, intra- and inter- domain routing, multicast services, congestion control, quality of service, network security, active and overlay network, network management. Cross-list: ELEC 529.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp529/
 

COMP 537 - NANO COMPUTING

Long Title: COMPUTING DESIGN WITH NANOTECHNOLOGIES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): (COMP 311 OR COMP 412) AND (COMP 421 OR COMP 429 OR ELEC 429)
Description: CMOS transistors, building elements of modern computing are entering the nanometer era. This course aims at providing basic knowledge of nanotechnologies-based computing. It starts with addressing immediate challenges facing CMOS-based computing. It then covers emerging non-standard CMOS and non CMOS devices, their physical properties, fabrications, circuit design, and impacts on the existing design flow and computing paradigms. Cross-list: CHEM 527, ELEC 527.
Course URL: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~mobile/elec527
 

COMP 538 - EMBEDDED HW SYSTEMS SECURITY

Long Title: SECURITY OF HW EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The course covers wide range of topics pertaining to security of Hardware Embedded system, including cryptographic processors, secure memory access, hardware IT protection by monitoring and watermarking FPGA security, physical and side-charmed attacks, Trojan horses. Cross-list: ELEC 528. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 540 - STATISTICAL MACHINE LEARNING

Long Title: STATISTICAL MACHINE LEARNING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): (STAT 331 OR STAT 310) AND (MATH 355 OR CAAM 335) or permission of instructor
Description: COMP 540 is about learning models from data. The course is designed to give students a foundational understanding of modern algorithms in learning and data mining, as well as hands-on experience with its applications in science and engineering.
 

COMP 550 - TOPICS IN PHYSICAL COMPUTING

Long Title: TOPICS IN PHYSICAL COMPUTING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Description: Advanced topics in the design and application of algorithms for solving problems in the physical world.
 

COMP 551 - ADVANCED ROBOTICS LAB

Long Title: ADVANCED MOBILE ROBOTICS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Description: This course will introduce the key concepts of modern robotics. The course will cover sensing, state estimation, localization, basic motion planning, and multi-robot coordination. The course will have a large laboratory component, with lectures to cover important concepts. There will be considerable software development in C, familiarity with programming is required. The course will be self-contained, there are no prerequisites, and advanced undergraduates and new graduate students are encouraged to enroll. Lab times will be arranged in the first week of class.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp551/
 

COMP 560 - COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Long Title: COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND GEOMETRIC MODELING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 4
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Graduate
Description: A survey of core topics in Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling, including fractals, ray tracing, hidden surface Algorithmic, Bezier, B-spline, blossoming techniques and subdivision procedures.
 

COMP 561 - GEOMETRIC MODELING

Long Title: GEOMETRIC MODELING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisite(s): COMP 460
Description: Exploration of curves and surfaces (e.g. parametric form, implicit form, and conversion between forms), the representation of solid (e.g., wireframes, octrees, boundary representations, and constructive solid geometry), and applications (e.g., graphics, motion planning, simulation, and finite element mesh generation. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 571 - BIOINFORMATICS: SEQUENCE

Long Title: BIOINFORMATICS: SEQUENCE ANALYSIS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Pairwise and multiple sequence alignment, Markov chains and HMMs, Phylogenetic reconstruction, Haplotype inference, Computational models of RNA structure, Gene finding, Genome rearrangements, and comparative genomics. Cross-list: BIOC 571.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~nakhleh/COMP571/
 

COMP 572 - BIOINFORMATICS: NETWORKS

Long Title: BIOINFORMATICS: NETWORK ANALYSIS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course covers computational aspects of biological network analysis, a major theme in the area of systems biology. The course addresses protein-protein interaction networks, signaling, and metabolic networks, and covers issues related to reconstructing, analyzing, and integrating various types of networks. Cross-list: BIOC 572, BIOE 564.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~nakhleh/COMP572/
 

COMP 573 - BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS

Long Title: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: This seminar introduces pre- and postdoctoral students in biomedical informatics to topics relevant to professional development in the discipline, which is no longer concentrated in labs as it was in its early days, but is now important in hospitals, outpatient clinics, companies and even the community. In these settings, researchers and practitioners are likely to encounter not only difficult technical challenges, but vexing problems of organizational change and development as well. We will consider some of these challenges, drawing on the insights of experts in psychology, organizational change, management and communications along with industry representatives and entrepreneurs. The seminar mixes lectures and readings with group and individual exercises. Instructor Permission Required.
 

COMP 583 - PARALLEL ALGORITHMS & ARCH

Long Title: PARALLEL ALGORITHMS AND ARCHITECTURE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Parallel architectures; shared memory, VLSI, message-passing. Structure and relation between architectures. Parallel time, work, and efficiency. Parallel algorithms for fundamental computational problems and applications. Network routing.
 

COMP 584 - SYMBOLIC COMPUTATION

Long Title: SYMBOLIC COMPUTATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Fundamental and advanced topics in symbolic computational symbolic-numerical arithmetic in basic domains, computing by homomorphic images, indefinite summation, computer analysis and the method of Groebner bases. The course also includes applications of symbolic computation to geometric modeling and theorem proving.
 

COMP 590 - COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS

Long Title: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECTS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1 TO 4
Description: Advanced theoretical and experimental investigations under staff direction. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 600 - GRADUATE SEMINAR

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: This seminar course meets weekly to discuss current research results by graduate students in the Computer Science Department. Senior students are expected to present their results. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp600/
 

COMP 601 - WRITING & EDITING CONF PAPERS

Long Title: WRITING AND EDITING CONFERENCE PAPERS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: This is a seminar on technical writing and preparing publications for peer review. The focus is on conference papers, around 6-10 pages in length. The main topics are: 1) The structure of a conference publication, with guest lectures from the faculty. 2) Good daily writing habits with a group accountability system. 3) Editing techniques and the development a departmental "writing community" with interactive editing sessions. This course will cover a few topics from ENGI 600, but the main focus will be on short computer science conference documents and interactive peer editing. ENGI 600 is still the correct course to take for writing in general, thesis preparation, or journal publications. This course will complement COMP 600, and to develop the same community for writing as this class does for presentations. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 602 - NEURAL MACHINE LEARNING II

Long Title: NEURAL MACHINE LEARNING AND DATA MINING II
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): ELEC 502 OR COMP 502 OR STAT 502 or permission of instructor
Description: Advanced topics in ANN theories, with a focus on Self-Organizing Maps and unsupervised learning. The course will be a mix of lectures and seminar discussions with active student participation, based on most recent research publications. Students will have access to professional software environment to implement theories. Cross-list: ELEC 602. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http://www.ece.rice.edu/~erzsebet/ANNcourseII.html
 

COMP 607 - AUTOMATED PROGRAM VERIFICATION

Long Title: AUTOMATED PROGRAM VERIFICATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 1
Description: Methods, tools and theories for the computer-aided verification of concurrent systems. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~vardi/comp607/
 

COMP 610 - GRAD SEM PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: A discussion of programming language semantics in computer science. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 612 - GRAD SEM COMPILER CONSTRUCTION

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN COMPILER CONSTRUCTION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 2
Description: Topics in construction of programming language translators. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 613 - GRAD SEM ADVAN LANG IMPLEM

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN ADVANCED LANGUAGE IMPLEMENTATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Topics in advanced language implementation. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 615 - PARALLEL PROGRAMMING SYSTEMS

Long Title: PARALLEL PROGRAMMING SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 2
Description: This course will explore topics in parallel programming environments and compilers for parallel computers. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http:////wiki.rice.edu/confluence/display/PARPROG/COMP615
 

COMP 617 - GRAD SEM RESOURCE AWARE PROG

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN RESOURCE AWARE PROGRAMMING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3 OR 4
Description: While high-level programming languages can be very helpful for general-purpose programming, they can be unsuitable for programming systems that interact directly with the physical world. Such systems include real-time and embedded systems. This seminar explores the design space for high-level languages that can support the more specialized task of resource-aware programming (RAP). Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 620 - GRAD SEM-DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: Content varies at discretion of instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 625 - GRADUATE SEMINAR

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR ON COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Subjects covering virtual memory and security structures, pipelines and vector processing, instruction set definitions, multi-threading, will be discussed. Both contemporary and "ancient systems" will be analyzed. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 629 - GRAD SEM IN COMP NETWORKING

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN COMPUTER NETWORKING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: This course will explore research topics in computer networking with an emphasis on the Internet. Topics include network algorithms and protocols, quality of service, network measurement, network management, network security, overlay networking. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 630 - MULTI-TIER WIRELESS NETWORKS

Long Title: MULTI-TIER WIRELESS NETWORKS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Topics in multi-tier wireless networks Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 631 - INDEXING LARGE DATABASES

Long Title: INDEXING LARGE DATABASES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: This course will cover the topic of indexing for different topic of indexing for different type of large, (typically) disk-based data sets. Indexing generally refers to the design, implementation, and use of data structures that allow you to quickly find database objects that satisfy a particular selection criteria. For example, in a database containing a large number of surveillance photographs, you may want to find all photographs that are similar to the picture of a known criminal, without having to check each and every photograph in the database explicitly. In the course, we will study data structures that are appropriate for this problem, as well as for many other database search problems.
 

COMP 635 - SEM: HETEROGENEOUS PROCESSORS

Long Title: SEMINAR: HETEROGENEOUS PROCESSORS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: In this seminar, we will study programming models for accelerators and heterogeneous processors being developed in industry and academia that span the range across FPGAs, stream processors, and processing units with local memories (including GPGPUs). The seminar will have a participatory format. We will meet weekly to study different heterogeneous processors and their software environments. In some cases, real hardware will be available for experimentation as well.
 

COMP 640 - GRADUATE SEMINAR

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR IN MACHINE LEARNING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A reading course covering the latest developments in statistical machine learning and pattern recognition. Instructor Permission Required. Recommended Prerequisite(s): COMP 440. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 650 - PHYSICAL COMPUTING

Long Title: PHYSICAL COMPUTING
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: Methods, tools and theories for reasoning about problems with physical constraints. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 651 - SPECIAL TOPICS

Long Title: SPECIAL TOPICS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1 TO 9
Description: SPRING 2013 - SPECIAL TOPICS IN ROBOTICS Robot Navigation and Multi-Robot Systems - This seminar will explore important topics in robot navigation and multi-robot systems. Students will read, present, and discuss research papers covering the relevant topics. The instructor will give background lectures where appropriate. Topics will include: outdoor navigation, vision-based navigation, multi-robot manipulation, network configuration estimation. Students will be responsible for: reading papers, writing one-paragraph paper summaries, presenting to the class, and periodically solving analysis problems assigned by the instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
Course URL: http://www.clear.rice.edu/comp651/
 

COMP 661 - GRAD SEM:GEOMETRIC COMPUTATION

Long Title: GRADUATE SEMINAR: GEOMETRIC COMPUTATION
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:  Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 670 - BIOINFORMATICS AND BIOMEDICINE

Long Title: SEMINAR ON BIOINFORMATICS AND BIOMEDICINE
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: Recent advances in computational methods and tools for biology and biomedicine. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 690 - RESEARCH AND THESIS

Long Title: RESEARCH AND THESIS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1 TO 12
Description:  Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 693 - ADV TOPICS - COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Long Title: ADVANCED TOPICS-COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1 TO 3
Description: This course is a discussion based seminar about state of the art embedded and digital signal processing systems, with emphasis on both hardware architectures as well as software tools, programming models, and compilers. The seminar focuses on state of the art academic and commercial offerings in these areas. Cross-list: ELEC 693. Repeatable for Credit.
 

COMP 694 - FUTURE PERSONAL COMPUTER TECH

Long Title: FUTURE PERSONAL COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Survey of the component and standards trends that are the basis of personal computers and digital appliances with the aim of predicting technologies, solutions, and new products five years into the future. Examples of these technologies are dual Core processors, iPods and their evolution, mobile wireless data devices, and even Google vs. Microsoft. Students will each pick a topic important to the digital lifestyle and through a series of one-on-one sessions develop a depth of understanding that is presented to the class. Cross-list: ELEC 694.
Course URL: http://www.ece.rice.edu/Courses/694.html/
 

COMP 800 - GRADUATE RESEARCH

Long Title: GRADUATE RESEARCH
Department: Computer Science
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1 TO 15
Description:  Repeatable for Credit.